Sunday, December 6, 2009

The second candle of Advent

The Bethlehem candle~

Well, I meant to post at least once before it was time to light the second candle, but here it is Sunday already!

I found the wreath I made last year, but couldn't resist adding a little twine bow to the center candle. I love twine...it kind of looks silly here, but in "real life" it looks much better. You'll just have to trust me on this one, though...this is definitely not the best picture...

AND it is really hard to find a "cute" place to take a picture in this kitchen-not-quite-finished! SO with my disclaimers aside, let's light the Bethlehem candle...actually, we'll let my son light it! (With my supervision, of course!)

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,though you are small among the clans of Judah,out of you will come for meone who will be ruler over Israel,whose origins are from of old,from ancient times...He will stand and shepherd his flockin the strength of the Lord,in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.And they will live securely, for then his greatnesswill reach to the ends of the earth.And he will be their peace."

~ Micah 5:2,4-5O Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem,How still we see thee lie;Above thy deep and dreamless sleepThe silent stars go by.Yet in thy dark streets shinethThe everlasting Light;the hopes and fears of all the yearsAre met in thee tonight.

How silently, how silently,The wondrous gift is given!So God imparts to human heartsThe blessings of His heaven.No ear may hear his coming,But in this world of sin,Where meek souls will receive Him, stillThe dear Christ enters in.

Now we'll enjoy the beauty of the lit candles...oh, and here's a picture of Gracie's Advent candle holder that she sanded and decorated in Sunday school this morning, and is very proud of! It looks so pretty all lit up! :)

Did you have a good week? I hope so! Christmas time can be so crazy, huh? Already I can feel things speeding up! Christmas is coming, ready or not, in just 19 days! (And a mere 18 if you're on the East Coast right now! :)

A favorite quote...

"Could we with ink, the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made. Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade...To write the love of God above would drain the oceans dry. Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky!" ~Originally by Frederick Lehman

He Said, She Said...

Once upon a time, a young couple went to look at a house for sale. "It's been unloved, that's obvious, but we can fix that," she said, planning to fix everything right away. "I can't see anything here that can't be fixed," He agreed, thinking of all the money they would save by fixing things themselves, and planning to take one project at a time. And so the couple bought their first house, each greatly underestimating the work that lay ahead... For the girl, from a long lineage of die-hard Fix-Its, and the boy, a descendant of the Most Frugals had met their match...for turning this house into a home would be no easy feat.